According to Elizabeth Dickinson over at Foreign Policy and referenced as one of the top stories on the Huffington Post, one Julian Assange practically ousted the President of Tunisia himself. Oh sure, there was that whole self-immolation thing that started it. There are the myriad of fathers, sons, brothers, daughters, husbands and mothers risking, and loosing, their lives for a change in government. But we can’t bask in the revolution of a Muslim Arab nation for too long. No. Better to credit that white guy.

“Rather, WikiLeaks acted as a catalyst: both a trigger and a tool for political outcry. Which is probably the best compliment one could give the whistle-blower site.” Foreign Policy

“The truth is: this is a major, er, coup for Wikileaks and the transparency it promotes – especially against tyrants like Ben Ali.” Andrew Sullivan

Unless you’re a blatant sycophant just looking for something to praise Assange for these days, you are not going to come to the conclusion that this is a coup “for Wikileaks” and it most certainly was not “triggered” by Wikileaks either. That is, you won’t come to these conclusions unless all you read are the writings of these types of sycophantic Assange-worshipping opportunists.

These riots and this revolution were caused by crony capitalism and the neoliberalization of Tunisia at the direct expense of the vast majority of her people.

Mass unemployment and recent food shortages set in motion a tide that was not to be reversed. Tunisia was a tinder-dry field just waiting for a spark and no matter how many Assange zealots try to tell you otherwise, it wasn’t Wikileaks that set it off.